The German occupation of the Soviet Union was largely a result of the German concept of lebensraum, or “liferoom.” This concept was a significant part of Nazi ideology, as it supported German expansion for the sake of giving a living space to the so-called superior race of Germans, especially in the face of crowding in the homeland. Germany must “expand or die” (Steinberg 621). This policy supported all outward expansion, but led particularly to expansion eastward, as Germans sought to displace the inferior Russians (Steinberg 620). http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/citizensoldier/conflicts/WWIIeto/images/europomap.gif
(map of German-occupied territories in WWII)
Effects of Occupation
German occupation of the Soviet Union was characterized by chaotic administrative policies. The Germans did not waste top officials in managing the conquered territory. In most cases, the officials diverted to manage the occupied territories were ‘Ostnieten,’ or ‘eastern nobodies.’ Many of these men were unemployed or otherwise regarded as incompetent within the party. Given free reign in the Soviet Union, the officials became sadistic and were known for baiting Jews and initiating brawls in the streets (Steinberg 621).
Many of the shortcomings of German occupation policies reflected the shortcomings of German society itself under Nazi regime. Hitler led the nation with absolute power; he was beyond the reproach of his people or his military subordinates. However, compared to other military dictators of the time, Hitler employed a rule that was “slack, chaotic, and incoherent” (Steinberg 624). This was reflected in administration, as different administrative branches fought for control and struggled to cooperate in their management of the occupied territory: the Reich Ministry and the propaganda ministry fought for control of the media; the Reich Ministry and foreign ministry clashed over policy; and the Reich Ministry could not effectively communicate with Himmler to ensure adequate policing of the territory (Steinberg 624).
Resistance and Collaboration Unlike in other occupied territories, there was no pretense of the possibility of collaboration; the Communists and Nazis were bitter enemies. The German Army employed the Einsatzgruppen (“task forces”), a division of the SS, to annihilate civilian populations in occupied territories. On the eastern front, the death squad first targeted Polish Intelligentsia, followed by Soviet political commissars, Jews, and Gypsies. The rationale for this, of course, was to make room for the German population as dictated by lebensraum. People that were likely to initiate resistance and those who were hostile towards Germans were the priority of these mass killings, but no man, woman, or child was safe from the threat of execution (“Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941”). However, German occupation policy in the Soviet Union only served to stiffen the USSR’s military resolve; resistance stiffened, making Germany’s timetable for their takeover of the Soviet Union impossible to follow. Failing to swiftly conquer the Soviet Union as planned, the German Army largely lost morale, and was pushed back by a major Russian counter-offensive that expelled the Germans from Stalingrad on December 6, 1941; after this counter-offensive, Germany was forced to dedicate most of their forces to a counter-counter-offensive (“Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941”).
Sources: "Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941." Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 10 June 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
Steinberg, Jonathan. "The Third Reich Reflected: German Civil Administration in the Occupied Soviet Union, 1941–4." The English Historical Review CX.437 (1995): 620-51. JStor.
The German occupation of the Soviet Union was largely a result of the German concept of lebensraum, or “liferoom.” This concept was a significant part of Nazi ideology, as it supported German expansion for the sake of giving a living space to the so-called superior race of Germans, especially in the face of crowding in the homeland. Germany must
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/citizensoldier/conflicts/WWIIeto/images/europomap.gif
(map of German-occupied territories in WWII)
Effects of Occupation
German occupation of the Soviet Union was characterized by chaotic administrative policies. The Germans did not waste top officials in managing the conquered territory. In most cases, the officials diverted to manage the occupied territories were ‘Ostnieten,’ or ‘eastern nobodies.’ Many of these men were unemployed or otherwise regarded as incompetent within the party. Given free reign in the Soviet Union, the officials became sadistic and were known for baiting Jews and initiating brawls in the streets (Steinberg 621).
Many of the shortcomings of German occupation policies reflected the shortcomings of German society itself under Nazi regime. Hitler led the nation with absolute power; he was beyond the reproach of his people or his military subordinates. However, compared to other military dictators of the time, Hitler employed a rule that was “slack, chaotic, and incoherent” (Steinberg 624). This was reflected in administration, as different administrative branches fought for control and struggled to cooperate in their management of the occupied territory: the Reich Ministry and the propaganda ministry fought for control of the media; the Reich Ministry and foreign ministry clashed over policy; and the Reich Ministry could not effectively communicate with Himmler to ensure adequate policing of the territory (Steinberg 624).
Resistance and Collaboration
Unlike in other occupied territories, there was no pretense of the possibility of collaboration; the Communists and Nazis were bitter enemies. The German Army employed the Einsatzgruppen (“task forces”), a division of the SS, to annihilate civilian populations in occupied territories. On the eastern front, the death squad first targeted Polish Intelligentsia, followed by Soviet political commissars, Jews, and Gypsies. The rationale for this, of course, was to make room for the German population as dictated by lebensraum. People that were likely to initiate resistance and those who were hostile towards Germans were the priority of these mass killings, but no man, woman, or child was safe from the threat of execution (“Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941”).
However, German occupation policy in the Soviet Union only served to stiffen the USSR’s military resolve; resistance stiffened, making Germany’s timetable for their takeover of the Soviet Union impossible to follow. Failing to swiftly conquer the Soviet Union as planned, the German Army largely lost morale, and was pushed back by a major Russian counter-offensive that expelled the Germans from Stalingrad on December 6, 1941; after this counter-offensive, Germany was forced to dedicate most of their forces to a counter-counter-offensive (“Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941”).
Sources:
"Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941." Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 10 June 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
Steinberg, Jonathan. "The Third Reich Reflected: German Civil Administration in the Occupied Soviet Union, 1941–4." The English Historical Review CX.437 (1995): 620-51. JStor.